[info]When? - 11th of July, 2014
Where? Blue Moon Bar, 380 Russell St. Melbourne
Website? - http://www.bluemoonbar.com.au
Reviewers – Adam, Fridge, Lee [/info]
How exactly Blue Moon fell onto our radar escapes me, but it has been on our list for quite some time. Its an odd duck, situated in the lobby of the Space Hotel on Russell St, Blue Moon has a definite Backpacker's bar vibe - partially because everyone we heard speaking (both patrons and staff) seemed to have some variety of foreign accent.
We arrived at the pub and took a seat - be warned that seating at Blue Moon is a little sparse, if you've got a group of more than 4 you might have to do some re-arranging of furniture to fit everyone in (there was more seating in the smokers area, but on a chilly Melbourne July night that was pretty much out of the question).
Drink range is pretty standard, got your regulars on tap and a few options in bottles - A pint of draught ran $6.50 and a stubby of Blue Moon Belgian White was $7, hard to complain about those prices - and those feeling frisky can even indulge in a jelly shot at $4 a pop. Drink and food specials aplenty with a plenty of options for cheap tucker. There's a $12 parma & pot night on Tuesdays that would definitely be worth a gander.
We placed our orders at the bar ($17 for the parma) and waited for our meals to arrive. Blue Moon seems like one of those pubs that would be fantastic when its busy - I've got a feeling this place would be packed full of backpackers on a Saturday night, and the decor definitely screams more "nightclub" than it does "cafe/bar" - If you've ever been at a club late enough for the lights to come on then you'll know what I mean.
Before too long the food arrived...
The schnitzel wasn't great. Thick crumbs that, although crispy and well cooked, were a little too thick for my liking. I'm not 100% sure but I'm calling processed on this one - However even though it was a processed bird it carried a decent flavour - relatively juicy considering its origins and mostly well cooked.
Despite a fair bit of nudity the toppings did their darndest to save a lackluster schnitzel. The shaved ham was delicious and plentiful, the cheese was flavoursome and the dusting of herbs over the top was appreciated. I would have loved a little more napoli as it seemed lost amongst the other toppings and almost undetectable.
The chips were standard steak chips with some dusted herbs. They were well cooked and seasoned as well as delivered with a pot of tomato sauce without the need to request it. Served (mostly) to the side of the parma they remained crisp and tasty throughout the meal.
What I thought was going to be an awful rocket-only salad actually caught me by surprise as they had tossed sliced apple through the mix. It was a very welcome and original addition, however it was still just a rocket and apple salad, a little more substance would have done this one wonders.
$17 for this parma I think is a little steep considering how cheap the schnitzel would be. The British Crown Hotel in Collingwood offers a parma extremely similar to this one and they only charge $9.90 all day every day. I'd go back for the $12.00 parma n' pot deal, but I'd struggle to justify paying full price again.
The parma at Blue Moon seems to be the victim of limited resources. I get the feeling that there is an extremely talented chef in the kitchen doing his best to produce a quality meal with the ingredients that he's been given, and he succeeds for the most part - for a processed schnitzel parma its actually pretty decent, one of the better ones I've had. But if you're going to do a cheap parma, especially at a hostel, you've got to charge hostel prices - $17 is just a bit steep for what we received. If they dialled the register back to $15 or less? I'd recommend it, otherwise give it a miss - unless its on a Tuesday.
The $4 Jelly shots were tasty though
[pros]
- Tasty toppings
- Apple through the salad a unique choice
[/pros][cons]
- Processed schnitzel
- A little pricey on non-special nights
[/cons]
Parma - 5.33
Chips - 5.67
Salad - 6.33
Value - 6.00
Total - 5.73
The search continues...
